AUSTIN (KXAN) — A 7-game winning streak came to an abrupt halt for the Texas Longhorns softball team after being swept by top-ranked Oklahoma.
The Sooners topped the Longhorns 8-1 Friday at Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, and then two more times in Norman 4-3 on Saturday and 10-2 on Sunday.
MORE THAN THE SCORE: Stay up to date on sports stories like these, and sign up for our More than the Score sports newsletter at kxan.com/newsletters
On Sunday, Texas’ day ended early after six innings due to the mercy rule. The Longhorns allowed five unearned runs in the third inning to blow the game open for the Sooners.
The game started off nice for Texas with a Mia Scott home run in the first inning, but Oklahoma’s Tiare Jennings blasted a 3-run home run in the third inning to give the Sooners a 4-1 lead before the wheels fell off for Texas.
By the end of the third inning, it was 9-1 Sooners. Lou Gilbert singled to left field to drive in a run for Texas in the fourth, but Oklahoma plated two more in the bottom of the sixth to bring the 8-run rule into play.
Katie Cimusz has two hits for Texas in the loss Sunday.
“We battled [Sunday],” Longhorns head coach Mike White said. “We got down early and kept fighting. Early on, there was that one wind-aided home run that helped their cause, but there’s not much you can do about that.”
On Saturday, Texas pitcher Mac Morgan and Oklahoma pitcher Alex Storako battled in the circle. Morgan scattered seven hits and allowed two earned runs with a strikeout and two walks, and Storako struck out six and allowed one earned run in six innings.
With Texas leading 3-1 going into the bottom of the seventh inning, Oklahoma’s Jayda Coleman tied the game with a 2-run home run and then Kinzie Hansen delivered the hit to score the walk-off run.
Freshman Viviana Martinez had two hits. including a solo home run in the sixth to give the Longhorns a 3-1 lead.
On Friday, the Sooners scored four runs in the second inning to bust the game open after a 1-1 tie in the first. Freshman Leighann Goode hit a solo home run in the first inning off Oklahoma pitcher Jordy Bahl, but that was the only run Texas scored.
Oklahoma outhit Texas 12-2 in the game with Ashton Maloney picking up the other hit for the Longhorns.
Texas (30-8-1, 3-3 Big 12 Conference) goes to Ames for a 3-game series with the Iowa State Cyclones starting Thursday.